Multimarker model for non-invasive assessment of variceal bleeding in chronic hepatitis C cirrhotic patients

Figure 1 CONSORT flow diagram of participant selection. Between December 2021 and December 2022, 162 patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) and liver cirrhosis were assessed for eligibility. A total of 69 patients were excluded based on predefined criteria, including non-HCV liver disease etiologies (n = 15; with 8 cases of hepatocellular carcinoma), prior sustained virological response to HCV treatment (n = 12), significant alcohol use (n = 10), and other exclusion criteria (n = 32). Consecutive enrollment continued until the target sample size was achieved, resulting in 93 eligible participants. These were allocated into three equal groups: Group I (variceal bleeding, n = 31), group II (no variceal bleeding, n = 31), and group III (healthy controls, n = 31). HCV: Hepatitis C virus; SVR: Sustained virological response.

Figure 2 Doppler ultrasonography of the portal vein in a healthy control. A: Portal vein diameter measuring 10 mm; B: Normal portal venous flow with a mean velocity of 25 cm/second and flow volume of 600 cc/minute.

Figure 3 Doppler ultrasonography of the portal vein in a cirrhotic patient with portal hypertension. A: Dilated portal vein diameter of 11.3 mm; B: Reduced mean flow velocity of 18 cm/second and flow volume of 382 cc/minute.